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AJAC Selects the Mazda 3 as “Canadian Car of the Year” for 2004
TORONTO (Ontario), February 11, 2004 – The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) announced its selection of the Mazda 3 as the “Canadian Car of the Year” today, during the opening ceremonies for the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto.
AJAC’s Jim Kenzie, president of the Canadian Car of the Year Awards, stated that “These awards are the result of what we believe to be the most thorough, scientifically sophisticated and unbiased evaluation program of its type in the world, conducted to provide consumers with sound, comparative information on which to base their new vehicle buying decisions”.
He goes on to explain “Each year some 50 automotive journalists from across Canada, representing all the major publications, come together to select the best ten vehicles. Our members make their choices on the basis of a rigorous and highly disciplined evaluation process grounded on back-to back testing of direct competitors.”
AJAC determined in 2002 that their awards influence significantly Canadian car buyers. Survey results of purchasers of the 2002 Nissan Altima determined that almost 70% (69.6%) said they were influenced in their purchase choice because the 2002 Nissan Altima was the Canadian Car of the Year and of those, 47.5% identified the award as a “strong/extremely strong” influence.
It all begins in late October when about 50 AJAC automotive journalists from across Canada take part in a four-day back-to-back evaluation process at Shannonville Motorsports Park, near Belleville, Ontario.
Affectionately known as “TestFest”, the journalists form test teams to compare every vehicle in a class, back-to-back, on the same surfaces, under the same conditions, on the same day to ensure valid, objective comparisons. The testing program includes driving on a test track as well as using “real world” public roads where consumers drive.
Every detail, from safety features to cargo capacity, is thoroughly scrutinized, discussed, and individually rated by secret ballot. Those ballots are then tabulated by the international accounting firm KPMG, which keeps the results confidential – even from AJAC – until today’s press conference.
The nine category winners were announced in November. The overall Canadian Car of the Year is chosen from the nine class winners.
The vote results, as well as the comparative performance data produced during the annual Test Fest, are available to consumers on AJAC’s web site at www.AJAC.ca.
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